The need for collaboration and rapid, informed decision making among a geographically dispersed workforce is greater than ever. However, today’s IT landscape is exposed to security breaches and invasions that have the potential to cause devastating negative impacts on an organization.
Federal, state, and local governments are experiencing new threats every day, and are challenged with balancing the need for improved decision making and collaboration and producing new tactics to mitigate security risks. Addressing these challenges, Data Systems Analysts (DSA), headquartered in Trevose, PA, has been providing Defense and Federal Government customers with comprehensive collaboration and security strategies that include Knowledge Management (KM), risk management, mature security practices and procedures and application infrastructure protection tools and services. The company has a widespread understanding of DoD enterprise networks and policies and provides expertise in building and deploying enterprise collaboration tools including SharePoint and milSuite.

As a result of DSA’s foundational support to the US Army where DSA delivered capabilities, skilled resources, and process discipline, DSA received several prestigious awards such as the Army Knowledge Management Award, the Government Information Technology Executive Council Award for Program Management Excellence, the Army Knowledge Management Award for Knowledge Management in Battle Command, and the e-Gov Institute Knowledge Management Recognition Award for Innovative Knowledge Management Practices, amongst others.

DSA is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in both Hosting services and Collaboration and Content,which includes Windows Server, Azure and SQL Server. The company is also a Silver Certified Partner in Application Development.“All of these competencies helped us gain greater insights into Microsoft’s latest technologies including training, pre-release software and other resources, and provided opportunities to host joint education clinics with Microsoft and other Gold partners,” says Kathleen Kirk, Vice President, DSA's Strategic Solutions Group.

SharePoint, Windows Azure and Office 365 are part of DSA’s Microsoft Solutions Consulting offerings and DSA has been testing and piloting in both these technologies since their arrival.

“Using our Microsoft Gold partnerships has allowed us to run several tests and demonstrations of SharePoint collaboration sites in both Office 365 and Windows Azure for the purpose of showing our customers the potential of the new technologies”, states Kathleen.

The combination of Windows phones accessing SharePoint 2013, both on Office 365 and Windows Azure, effectively allowed DSA to showcase Mobile and Cloud technology as part of one pilot. “Providing early access to this technology has allowed our customers the ability to influence policy to support wider adoption across the DoD,” asserts Kathleen.

reducing overall program costs caused by turnover, and fostering healthy organizational perspectives founded on collaboration,” claims Kathleen. DSA has led the development of communities of interest including the Mid Atlantic Developers SharePoint User Group, which provides opportunities for users, developers, administrators and government technologists to view and discuss the latest Microsoft technologies.

By leveraging our Microsoft Gold partnership,we can have greater insight into Microsoft’s latest technologies such as training, pre-release software and other resources

With Cloud and Mobile technologies playing a big part in DSA’s roadmap, the company will focus on the impacts of Cyber Security and Directory and Access Management within these solutions.

“With the emergence of an increased number of cyber threats, the success of mobile solutions will be tied to providing a platform to securely communicate while providing capabilities that encourage mobile collaboration”, concludes Kathleen.